Joe Biden tells Black voters who they should back, then backtracks
Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has shocked the African American community with a ‘wise guy’ crack in a controversial interview his aides tried to cut short.
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Joe Biden told the popular host of a New York City-based syndicated radio show that anyone still pondering whether to support the presumptive Democratic nominee or US President Trump in November “ain’t black.”
The former veep’s remarks came during an interview on “The Breakfast Club,” where the host Charlamagne tha God challenged Biden over his record on racial issues and consideration of a black, female running mate.
“I’m not acknowledging anybody who is being considered, but I guarantee you: There are multiple black women being considered. Multiple,” Mr Biden said on the program, according to the New York Post.
An aide to the candidate could then be heard trying to cut short the interview.
“Thank you so much. That’s really our time. I apologise,” the aide said.
“You can’t do that to black media!” Charlamagne said. “I do that to white media and black media because my wife has to go on at 6 o’clock,” Mr Biden snapped back, apparently referring to a planned media appearance by Jill Biden.
“Listen, you’ve got to come see us when you come to New York, Vice President Biden,” Charlamagne said. “It’s a long way until November. We’ve got more questions.”“You’ve got more questions?” Biden responded.
“Well I tell you what, if you have a problem figuring out whether you’re for me or Trump, then you ain’t black.” Charlamagne also questioned Biden about how he could win his presidential campaign while ensconced in his basement during the coronavirus pandemic.
“I’m following the rules. My governor says he doesn’t want us out, I wear a mask, and by the way, I’m beating them across the board. All the stuff about hurting me is not hurting me, I’m ahead in all states in all national polls and the more he talks the better I am,” Biden replied, referring to Trump.
In a statement to Mediaite, Charlamagne provided a comment about Biden’s remarks, saying, “We have been loyal to Democrats for a long time, black people have invested a lot into that party and the return on investment has not been great … As Biden said in our brief interview when I asked him if Dems owe the black community ABSOLUTELY was his answer. So let’s see what you got!!! Votes are Quid Pro Quo. You can’t possibly want me to Fear Trump MORE than I want something for my people.”
Joe Biden later declared he “should not have been so cavalier”.
The presumptive Democratic presidential nominee quickly moved to address the fallout from his remark, which was interpreted by some as presuming black Americans would vote for him.
In a call with the U.S. Black Chamber of Commerce that was added to his public schedule, Biden said he would never “take the African American community for granted.” “I shouldn’t have been such a wise guy,” Biden said.
“No one should have to vote for any party based on their race or religion or background.” That was an acknowledgement of the stinging criticism he received in response to his comments, which he made on “The Breakfast Club,” a radio program that is popular in the black community.
The rebukes spanned from allies of Trump’s reelection campaign - anxious to go on offense after weeks of defending the president’s response to the coronavirus pandemic - to some activists who warned that Biden must still court black votes, even if African Americans overwhelmingly oppose the president.
“None of us can afford for the party or for this campaign to mess this election up, and comments like these are the kinds that frankly either make black voters feel like we’re not really valued and people don’t care if we show up or not,” said Alicia Garza, a Black Lives Matter co-founder and principal of Black Futures Lab.
South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, a Trump supporter and the Senate’s sole black Republican, said he was “shocked and surprised” by Biden’s remarks. “I was struck by the condescension and the arrogance in his comments,” Scott said in a conference call arranged by the Trump campaign. “I could not believe my ears that he would stoop so low to tell folks what they should do, how they should think, and what it means to be black.”
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It comes as US President Donald Trump called for former President Barack Obama and his Vice President Joe Biden to be sent to jail “with 50-year sentences” for their alleged involvement in the Russia probe.
President Trump called the saga “the greatest political crime in the history of our country, ” and labelled his former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn a hero.
“It was the greatest political crime in the history of our country,’ Mr Trump said on Fox Business News of his predecessor and Mr Biden, the presumed Democratic nominee.
“They (FBI agents) weren’t after General Flynn. They wanted him to lie about me, make up a story. And with few exceptions, nobody did that.
“This was all Obama. This was all Biden. These people were corrupt. The whole thing was corrupt and we caught them.
“If I were a Democrat instead of a Republican, I think everybody would have been in jail a long time ago, and I’m talking with 50 year sentences.
“It is a disgrace what’s happened, this is the greatest political scam, hoax in the history of our country. And people should be going to jail for this stuff and hopefully, a lot of people are going to have to pay.”
Mr Biden and Mr Obama reportedly knew about the FBI seeking an investigation into the incoming National Security adviser, and then-administration purportedly requested to “unmask” the identity of Mr Flynn.
Meanwhile, Mr Obama has condemned the US response to the coronavirus pandemic, saying the crisis has “torn back the curtain” on the country’s lack of leadership.
In a virtual commencement speech, Obama slighted “the folks in charge” for fumbling the response to the public health crisis that has killed more than 88,000 Americans.
“More than anything, this pandemic has fully, finally torn back the curtain on the idea that so many of the folks in charge know what they’re doing,” he said in his live-streamed address.
“A lot of them aren’t even pretending to be in charge.”
He also offered inspirational advice to thousands of graduates of historically black colleges and universities, encouraging them “to seize the initiative” during a time where the nation’s leaders have failed to step up.
“If the world’s going to get better, it’s going to be up to you,” he said.
Mr Obama’s remarks also attempted to rally the public around critical voting issues such as universal health care and economic fairness.
He has mainly avoided speaking about the Trump administration since he left office in 2016.
However, the New York Times reported that he called President Donald Trump’s response to the pandemic “an absolute chaotic disaster” in a private call with thousands of his supporters last week.
“It would have been bad even with the best of governments,” Mr Obama said.
“It has been an absolute chaotic disaster when that mindset – of ‘what’s in it for me’ and ‘to heck with everybody else’ – when that mindset is operationalised in our government.”
Mr Trump later responded: “Look, he was an incompetent president, that’s all I can say. Grossly incompetent.”
Originally published as Joe Biden tells Black voters who they should back, then backtracks